At just 17-years-old, she's already one of the best halfpipe riders in the world, and will likely be a mainstay of Team USA at the Winter Games for years to come.

But before she was competing for Olympic gold, Kim was riding for different stakes — the right to dye her hair.

Kim told ESPNW in 2016 that her mother was originally hesitant to allow her to dye her hair. After asking over and over for permission, her mom finally relented, but with a caveat — Kim could dye her hair if she made the podium at the 2014 U.S. Burton Open.

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Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim

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Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim

PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 12: Chloe Kim of the United States competes in the Snowboard Ladies' Halfpipe Qualification on day three of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park on February 12, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

USA's snowboard athlete Chloe Kim attends a press conference ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2018, in Pyeongchang. / AFP PHOTO / Florian CHOBLET / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Florian CHOBLET has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [snowboard] instead of [freestyle skiing ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo credit should read FLORIAN CHOBLET/AFP/Getty Images)

PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 12: Chloe Kim of the United States competes in the Snowboard Ladies' Halfpipe Qualification on day three of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park on February 12, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

MAMMOTH, CA - JANUARY 20: Chloe Kim looks on after finishing in second place in the final round of the Ladies' Snowboard Halfpipe during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix on January 20, 2018 in Mammoth, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

MAMMOTH, CA - JANUARY 20: Chloe Kim competes in the final round of the Ladies' Snowboard Halfpipe during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix on January 20, 2018 in Mammoth, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO - DECEMBER 09: Chloe Kim of the United States looks on after the finals of the FIS Snowboard World Cup 2018 Ladies' Snowboard Halfpipe during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix on December 9, 2017 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Kim finished in first place. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO - DECEMBER 09: Chloe Kim #1 of the United States competes in the FIS World Cup 2018 Ladies Snowboard Halfpipe final during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix on December 9, 2017 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO - DECEMBER 07: Chloe Kim of the United States looks on during a qualifying round of the FIS Snowboard World Cup 2018 Ladies' Snowboard Halfpipe during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix on December 7, 2017 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

PARK CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 25: Snowboarder Chloe Kim addresses the media during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games on September 25, 2017 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Snowboarder Chloe Kim attends the 100 Days Out 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Celebration - Team USA in Times Square on November 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for USOC)

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For any other 13-year-old, this might have been a tall order — it's tough for anyone to win a medal amongst the best in the world, especially if you're still two years away from getting your learner's permit. But Kim threw down and wound up in third place, winning bronze and more importantly, the right to dye her hair.

"I got third that year, and I was like, 'Let's go the salon,'" Kim says.